While working on the book "Finding Richard," the 54-year-old said words just "flowed right out."

The fictional story is inspired by the Round Lake Beach resident's younger brother, Richard. It depicts the struggles he faced living with the mental illness, which manifested when they were both teenagers.

"It's a cruel illness," Bienvenue said. "The line between reality and illusion is so fuzzy. A lot of aspects are continual taunting."

Unfortunately, he said, over the years, the voices that talk about Richard to torture him have only gotten worse.

According to www.mayoclinic.org, "Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior."

Bienvenue didn't set out to write the book. Instead, getting his feelings and thoughts out was a way to release his emotions and to learn about the illness affecting his brother.

The book, written under Bienvenue's pen name of Mitch Davis, describes much of what he learned people with schizophrenia go through.

In the fall of 2014, Bienvenue self-published "Finding Richard" in three formats — paperback, Kindle and Audible through Amazon.com.

From start to finish, it took the author five years to get the story out.

"It's my wishes, my hopes and dreams for my brother; as well as my regrets," Bienvenue said about some of the book's content, adding that he laughed and shed tears during the process.

One fond memory he has is of the two playing hide-and-seek at their Wisconsin home when they were children.

"For us, it was like hide-and-seek on steroids," Bienvenue said.

The goal, he explained, was to find and capture the other. "There was a military element to it," Bienvenue said.

An aspect that Bienvenue laments about his brother's life is that at 53, Richard has never had a romantic relationship.

Mitch Davis Bienvenue

Mitch Davis Bienvenue is a Round Lake Beach author of the book "Finding Richard," based on his brother's experience with schizophrenia.

Mitch Davis Bienvenue is a Round Lake Beach author of the book "Finding Richard," based on his brother's experience with schizophrenia. (Mitch Davis Bienvenue)

The social awkward behavior he displays makes it difficult to develop connections with people, Bienvenue said.

Married for 22 years and getting ready to welcome his second grandchild, Bienvenue said he feels blessed for his life while being saddened by his brother's.

"Life is not always fair," he said.

The book provides a happier narrative, though. One in which Richard finds a girlfriend and in some regard, he "finds himself" again, Bienvenue said.

Richard lives in Wisconsin now, where a support group helps him live and work independently.

Bienvenue sees his brother a couple of times a year during family gatherings and at the author's cabin.

It was there that Bienvenue said he told Richard about the book last year.

"It was so funny because I was nervous about how he'd react. He said to me, 'Huh … you wrote about me' and that was it," Bienvenue said.

The mission to get his thoughts out about the illness that has tormented his younger brother for most of his life was fulfilled when the book was done, Bienvenue said. His hope now is for readers to benefit from it.

"I would love it if people can learn about schizophrenia by reading the book and in general," Bienvenue said.

He's looking forward to having discussions about it during his scheduled visit to the Round Lake Area Library, 906 Hart Road in Round Lake, where he'll be signing copies from 7 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 29.

Bienvenue is working on a second book.

He said it will be a fact-based novel about Wisconsin's migrant farm worker population in the mid-1960s.